Portable housing unit



May 10, 1949. J. c. THOMAS PORTABLE HOUSING UNIT 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1945 Joseph C. Thomas J. c. THOMAS PORTABLE HOUS ING UNIT May 10, 1949.

Filed Aug. 4, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 n =9... T f :1 T J 6 u 6 a 2 0f F w M f i Joseph C. Thomas May 10, 1949. J. c. THOMAS PORTABLE HOUSING UNIT Filed Aug. 4, 1945 4 Sheets -Sheet 3 Joseph C. Thomas May 10, 1949. J. c. THOMAS PORTABLE HOUSING UNIT 4 SheetsSheet 4 Filed Aug. 4, 1945 I bun 8 Joseph C. Thomas v l/l/lI/l Patented May 10, 1949 Joseph C. Thomas, Cuyahoga to Wingfoot Corporation, Akron,v poration of Delaware Falls,.0hio, assignor Ohio, a cor.-

Application Augusta, 1945, Serial No. 608,856 1'Claim.. (Cl. 20-2) The present invention relates to a portable housing unit. More particularly, theinvention isv concerned with a novel form of modern housing unit which can be advantageously constructed according to assembly line methods and is capable of being carried by rail or. highway facilities to a central distributing point from which it is in turn transported to a site.

Other important features and objects of the present invention will become apparent as the. following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated by the accompanying drawings proceeds.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a front ele vation of one form of portable housing unit em.-- bodying the principles of thepresentinvention. and illustrated as being located upon a site, Figure 2 is an endelevation ofthe house of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a partialcross-section alongtheline 33 in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a planview of the structure of Figure. 1 as seen from the section line. 4-4 in Figure 2. Figure5 corresponds generally. to Figure 4 and illustrates the structure in collapsed form preparatory to extension of oneoi. the side walls. Figure 6 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in Figurez and drawn at enlarged scale. Figure '7 is an enlarged partial cross-section as. seen from the line 'I-'I; in Figure 1. Figure 8, which is generally similar. to Figure 4, illustrates a modification of the. invention.

In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, .the. preferred form ofportable housing unit, indicated. generallyby the reference character I, is shown. in its expanded form ready for occupancy. The main structure of the house I embodies front wall '2, rear wall 3, and end walls 4 and 5 (see. Figure having ventilating sections 8, which may advane tageously take theform. of a plurality of hOI'i-r,

zontally' arrangedfixedlouvres, disposed there-- a measure of. protection for the door 9 against. 2, 3, .4- and 5 as well as.

the weather. The walls the roof 6 and. thefioor of the house are ad,-' vantageously formedof spaced inner and. enter 4) surmounted by a slightly Ditchediroof. 6, The front wall 2 of the house I is provided. with a plurality of stationary studio windows 1' 9 in. the. front wall 2, there.

adapted to be disemshells of plywood or other likeconstruction between which a suitable insulating medium is inserted.

The rear wall 3 and end walls 4 and 5 may have any desired number of windows I4 disposed therein all. of which are advantageously of the single-sash casement type hi ged at the top and. adapted toopen outwardly. A door 9 having a window I0 therein, substantially identical to the correspondingdoor in the:front wall 2, may also be provided in the rear wall 3. A stoop I5 and roof portion I6 are-shown as being secured to the. rear wall 3 to serve as protection for the rear door of the house. All of the ventilating sections Band the several windows ID and Marc advantageously fitted with fly screens,

As will be seen from Figures 4 and5 illustratingthefloor plan of the house I, the interior of the house is advantageously divided into a plurality; of areas or rooms. A prominent feature of the house is the substantially centrally located living room area I! at one end of-which complete kitchen facilities, indicated generally by the reference character I8, are located. A complete bathroom I9 and an adjoining rear entry 20' are disposed adjacent the kitchen I8.

At the opposite end of the living room H from the kitchen I8 is located a bedroom area 2|. -It will be noted from Figures 4 and 5 that the bedroom area 2| houses two walled sections or bays 22 and 23. Thebay 22co mprisesopposed end walls 24 andside wal1'25while the bay 23. is-made up of oppositely. disposed endwalls 26 joined by a side wall 21. The bays 22 and 23, which may be of the same or differing dimensions, are capable of being telescoped with respect to the interior ofv the bedroom area 2| of the house I to afford, when extended, a substantial increase in the area of the interior of the house structure.

A removable inner dividing wall or partition 28. makes possible the full utilization of the bed-. room area 2|. This partition 28 is capable of being projected into the living room I! by sliding over the floor thereof to provide sufficient space in the bedroom area 2I to receive the bays 22 and Z3 (seeFigure, 5), When the partition 28 is shifted into position against house I, the bedroom area 2,! is divided into independent rooms 2Ia and '2Ib by. reason of the cooperation therewith of the, doors 29 and 30, respectively, affording entrance to-the livin room H.

The partition 28, which is'unitary in construction in its preferred form, advantageously in.-- cludesta plurality-of spaces or sectionswhich maythe end wall 5 of the.

be utilized for storage purposes and the like. The partition 28 as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, for example, embodies book shelves 3! closets 32 and 33 in combination with a section 34 housing a chest of drawers, shelves and a vanity mirror for each of the bedrooms 2 l a and 21b.

The movable partition 28, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, is a completely self-contained unit which is adapted to slide bodily over the fioor of the living-room I7, the base of the frame being fitted with rollers, casters, sliders (convex metal inserts) or other suitable means (not shown) to facilitate its movement. The partition 28 advantageously fits into an opening in the wall 36 framed by studs 3'! (see Figure 3). The end of the partition 28 in the living-room I"! has a facing 38 to cover the framing which outlines the opening in the wall 36.

The movable partition 28 when in place against the wall of the house I fits snugly between the table tops 39 and 40 in rooms Zia and Zlb, respectively, which may advantageously be used in combination with shelves or drawers to form a cabinet or vanity. A narrow board or panel 41 corresponding in length to the partition 28 and slidably fitted into place between the pairs of strips 32, 43 in the manner illustrated in Figure 3 cooperates with the partition to complete the enclosure of the rooms 2| a and 2 lb.

A complete electrical wiring circuit is inserted in the partition 28 providing all the necessary electrical service for each of the rooms 2m and 2|b. This is accomplished by mounted a plug-in receptacle 34 on the inside face of the wall toward the bedroom area 2|. A plug iil on cable it permits the entire circuit to be disconnected for the shifting of the partition 23. The circuit includes the outlet boxes 31 and 48 interconnected by conductor 49 (the former being connected to the cable 46), conductor 50 and sidewall outlet boxes 5! and 52 interconnected by conductor A light, such as the illustrated fixture may be mounted overhead in the section t l of partition 28 and connected to each of the boxes ll, 4E8 while a suitable plug-in receptacle (not shown) may be mounted in each of the boxes 5! and 52 in the walls of the closet 32.

The bay 22 encloses space of a size suilicient to house therein two single bunk beds (not shown) disposed one above the other. Ventilation for the bay 22 is afforded by the ventilators 55 in the side wall 25 thereof, one such ventilator being provided for each bunk. The bay 2?? is of ample size to house therein a built in bunk corresponding to a full double bed. Bay 23 has a single sash casement window I ia in the side wall 2! thereof, similar to the windows it in the other walls of the structure, to provide ventilation.

The bays 22 and 23 are substantially compietely self-contained units, as will be apparent from Figure 6, and are advantageously adapted to fit into openings provided in the front and rear walis 2 and 3, respectively, of the house I. The several walls 24, 25 of bay 22 and walls 25, 27 of bay 23 in addition to the floors and roofs thereof are substantially identical in construction to the main walls, roof, and fioor of the house I. Thus, each bay is capable of being moved bodily into place and by virtue of a weather-proof joint 55 at the roof and end wall junctions with the walls 2 and 3 of the house I affords complete protection against the elements.

The joint 56 which is advantageously of the same design for roofs and end walls of both bays 22 and 23 embodies a frame member 57 which has a tapered face 58 (see Figure '7) The tapered face 58 of the member 5! cooperates with the oppositely tapered face 59 of the frame member 60 associated with the house wall in which the bay is mounted, when the bay in question is expanded. A strip 6| of felt or other similar material is secured to the frame member 5'! adjacent the face 58 for sealing cooperation with the frame member 51. A metal flashing strip 62 is fixed to the outer face of the frame member 51 at the roof of the bay 23, a wood chamfer strip (not shown) being substituted for the strip 62 at the side walls. When the bays 22 and 23 are properly in place the entire structure is tightly sealed against the weather Since, as previously indicated, the bays 22 and 23 are of substantially identical construction, it will be unnecessary to describe both in detail, the bay 23 only being shown in Figure 6 of the drawings for the sake of simplicity. The floor 63 of bay 23, like the floor and walls of the house, is essentially a hollow shell of plywood or the like having its interior packed with suitable insulating material. The floor 83 has four rollers 64, one at each corner thereof, to support it and to enable it to be rolled with ease over the main floor of the house when the bay 23 in its retracted position.

When the house I has reached the site where it is to be set up, a number of piers 55 of stone, concrete or other suitable material are placed on the ground with the base thereof preferably somewhat below the ground level. The house is then located upon the piers 65 with the bays 22 and 23 still in retracted position. The addi tional piers 66 are placed at positions spaced outwardly from the walls 2 and 3 and a frame '61 (see Figure 6) is positioned with its outermost corners resting upon the piers 65 and suitably secured at its other end to the base of the outer wall 2 (in the illustrated instance) adjacent the opening therein for the bay 23.

After the frame 67 is in place, the uppermost edges of the side rails 68, 69 having tracks or grooves Ill, H formed therein between the plates 12, i3 and guides 14, 15, respectively, which may be of metal. The grooves 79, ll receive the rollers 64 as the bay 23 is moved over the main floor of the house I to its extended position. The frame 61 is so designed that, when it is properly in place, the base of the grooves lit, ll will be substantiall level with the surface of the fioor in the bedroom area 2| housing the bay 23 to insure ease of handling after the house has been.

erected and is to be made ready for occupancy.

When the bay 23 has been moved into its fully extended position on the frame 67, the frame member 5'! thereof cooperating with the frame member 6i) of the house structure to form the weatherproof joint 56 will be tightly sealed. The opposed faces 58 and 59 of members 57 and 60, respectively, compress the felt strip 6| and this insures a positive sealing engagement at all times.-

Any suitable securing means may be employed to hold the parts in this relation such, for example, as a plurality of bolts 16 extending through the facing T! on the inner face of the frame member 5! inside the house and the frame member 60. The bolts 16 are provided with washers 1B and nut 19.

Figure 8 illustrates a modification of the invention which contemplates the removal of the partition 28a in the form of a number of individual interfitting sections 32a, 33a, and 34a rather than as a unit, as in the case of partition 28 in Figure 4.

5 With this exception, the house Ia embodies all of the features of the previously described embodiment of the invention.

Other modifications, which may readily be incorporated in the housing unit of the present invention and which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Among other things, several additional bays may be embodied in the structure, either in the side walls or the end walls or both, if desired. Moreover the bay 22 may be so modified that it houses a full size double bed in place of the tiers of single bunks and the partition 28 or 28a may be adapted to include therein a greater or lesser number sections or divisions as may be desired.

While in accordance with the patent statutes one best known embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be particularly understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby, but that the inventive scope is defined in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a portable house unit embodying a plurality of closure walls and partitions defining a number of rooms at least two of which are separated by a fixed partition having an opening therein, a walled section inserted in a portion of each of the opposed closure walls defining the first of the aforementioned two rooms, said walled sections being disposed in telescopic relation to the interior of said room and when in retracted position substantially filling the same, and a movable partition mounted in the opening in the fixed parti tion for slidable movement from a position Wholly within the first of the two rooms for dividing the space therein defined by the fixed partition, the walled sections in their extended position and the closure walls and portions thereof into at least two separate adjoining rooms to another position wholly within the second of the two rooms en abling the first room to receive the retracted Walled sections.

JOSEPH C. THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,417,736 Heygate May 30, 1922 1,477,660 Monroe Dec. 18, 1923 1,521,635 Lewis Jan. 6, 1925 1,988,585 Dath Jan. 22, 1935 OTHER REFERENCES The Architectural Forum, Sept. 1942, pages 140, 141 and 142. 

